Glendive, the county seat for Dawson County, has a population of just over 4,800 and is the state’s 15th largest city. The town was thought to have been named by Sir George Gore, a wealthy Irish sportsman who hunted extensively in the area in the 1850s and reportedly named the area Glendale. The name "Glendive" is thought to have evolved from that.
Like many towns in Montana, Glendive took hold when the Northern Pacific pushed through in the late 1880s. It was home to a locomotive repair shop and serves as an important commercial hub for ranchers and farmers in the area who produce cattle, sugar beets, grain, and forage crops.
Glendive is known as "Paddlefish and Caviar Capital of the World." Located on the Yellowstone River near the North Dakota Border, it is here that the ancient Paddlefish comes to spawn each year, swimming against the mighty current to deposit eggs on flooded gravel bars in the Yellowstone.
Glendive has also set up a self-guided walking tour through the historic downtown area. Guide brochures are located at the Glendive Chamber office at 200 N. Merrill in the downtown area. The walking tour also includes the historic Bell Street Bridge, which spans the Yellowstone River.
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